I created this Inspirational Image to address the fact that many of us worry too much.

They say that a little worry is healthy; it keeps us thinking ahead and helps us prepare to work around unexpected misfortune. However, when you worry too much, you make your whole life miserable and burden yourself with a lot of unnecessary stress.

Why do we worry? At its root, worrying is often a fear of uncertainty. Various studies have ascertained and it was found that worriers agonised about matters that rarely occurred. However, the majority of participants reported they believed ‘ over-thinking’ about a possible negative event had helped prevent it from taking place.

Worry is something that many people experience. It’s not the same as thinking. Thinking leads to solutions. Worrying leads nowhere. Thinking leads to action. Worrying leads to nothing. Thinking leads to relief. Excessive worrying leads only to powerlessness, tiredness and exhaustion.’

Worries have the unpleasant habit of entering your head and not leaving; thoughts go round in circles and in the end make mountains out of molehills.

Exercises to combat excessive worry can include learning to concentrate on an activity such as a hobby, reading, listing to music, daily exercise or simply concentrating on your breathing.

I used the image of dragonflies skimming over water for this inspirational image: Skim over life’s worries like a dragonfly over water, with elegance and beauty.

Dragonflies have been on earth for more than 300 million years. Their flight is so special that it has inspired engineers who dream of making robots that can fly like dragonflies. They hover and skim over water with elegance and dexterity. Because dragonflies are so fascinating to watch, it is impossible to worry – their beauty calms the viewer and washes away their worries.

I sure this image, nicely framed, on the wall in the bedroom or in the home or office will remind us that we should seize the day and expel unnecessary worry.

In today’s busy world it seems that Inspirational and/or Positive Posters are a new growing trend as a method of self-help. Inspirational posters are very much here to stay as a daily tool for happiness. It makes sense because in today’s non-stop, hyper-active world and it’s often hard to find time to read an inspirational self- help-book — but you can always find time to read an inspirational poster.

There are many ways we can change negative thoughts and self-criticism to more realistic and positive thoughts. Focusing on all of them at once may be overwhelming, but focusing on a few at a time and reminding ourselves of these positive approaches regularly can change our self-esteem.

To this end I have now added Inspirational Quotes superimposed on my art as a downloadable print. A downloadable print enables people to have their chosen image printed in any size and on any medium – such as heavy-duty watercolour paper, canvas or paper. They can also print the image more than once.

I list here some Positive Thought Strategies that we should always try to embrace in our daily lives:

Accentuate the positive.

Accept flaws and being human.

Accept imperfections.

Replace criticism with encouragement.

Don’t feel guilty about things beyond your control.

Don’t feel responsible for everything.

Do feel responsible for your feelings.

Treat yourself kindly.

Give yourself a break.

Choose the brighter side of things.

Forgive and forget.

Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t.

Using just one or two of these strategies on a regular basis can greatly increase your positive self-image and self-esteem.